The Canada Revenue Agency has a legal right to pocket interest owed on pre-payment of disputed tax assessments, says a federal judge. The ruling came on appeal by an Alberta businessman who lost more than $160,000 worth of interest kept by the tax department: “This is a normal right of the taxpayer”.
Regulators must eliminate “mind-boggling” barriers to interprovincial trade, says the Senate banking committee. The panel yesterday proposed a 2017 deadline to boost trade between provinces, including one recommendation that drew protest from the Canadian Labour Congress: ‘These barriers are ludicrous’.
An appeals court has approved a first-ever trial on whether government-regulated casinos owe a duty of care in cases of gambling addiction. A judge likened casino corporations to barkeepers who “enjoy large profit margins” from customers who drink and drive: ‘More may be expected when an individual is out of control’.
The finance department won’t commit to regulating bank fees more than a year after promising to abolish charges for mailing monthly statements. The previous Conservative cabinet in 2015 had vowed to abolish paper statement fees but never amended the Bank Act: “We are paying close attention”.
RCMP management has a right to run the police force without negotiating every aspect of operations with unionized members, says Commissioner Bob Paulson. “What is so sinister about having someone in charge of something?” Paulson said; “I just don’t get it.”
A hunter who landed in a constitutional quagmire after shooting a polar bear has won acquittal in court. Government attorneys disputed whether the bear fell under federal or provincial jurisdiction when it ran onto sea ice off the Labrador coast: “Only in Canada”.
Clients give the National Research Council mixed reviews four years after the agency was pitched as a “concierge” for industry. A customer survey obtained through Access To Information cited complaints the Council is slow, costly and poorly managed: “Speed it up”.
Pay equity legislation for federally-regulated firms with as few as 15 employees would be a burden to small business, says an industry group. A Commons special committee has urged the law be enacted by 2018: “We’ll get another level of bureaucracy”.
Removing a Criminal Code ban on single sports betting would reap millions for provinces, cabinet has been told. Two provinces pleaded for repeal of the ban, according to newly-released Access To Information records. MPs are scheduled to debate repeal this Thursday: “It represents millions of dollars annually that could be used to bolster our provincial economies”.
A federal judge will review a decision by regulators to allow airline ticket sales by unlicensed companies. A passengers’ advocate was granted go-ahead from the Court of Appeal to challenge the ruling of the Canadian Transportation Agency: “What if they cancel flights? Who is held liable?”
Cabinet has won a three-year Federal Court challenge by one of the nation’s largest tire manufacturers over a toxic additive. A judge dismissed an appeal by Goodyear Canada Inc. under the Environmental Protection Act: “It is not the role of the Court to resolve disputes among scientists”.
Chemical manufacturers will pay 30 percent of Health Canada costs to review new pesticides under a formalized fee schedule. The department has said full cost-recovery would be a “disincentive” to manufacturers: “Costs have gone up”.
Rogers promotes its new 4K network;
four times the resolution
of a high-definition TV.
Imagine.
Daytime soaps won’t be dumb anymore;
crisp, razor-sharp scenes will keep you glued.
U.S. politics won’t be scary anymore;
a life-like Presidential candidate will be a daily visitor
in your living room.
And the flames of Fort McMurray will be brighter,
more vivid than on any other screen.
See close-ups of every burning shingle,
follow the sweat on the face of every firefighter,
note the fear in the eyes of every child.
As if you were there,
all from the comfort of your chair.
(Editor’s note: poet Shai Ben-Shalom, an Israeli-born biologist, examines current events in the Blacklock’s tradition each and every Sunday)
Parliament must legislate pay equity for more than 1.3 million Canadian workers within 18 months, says a Commons committee. Cabinet immediately distanced itself from the recommendation, saying a bill was no “silver bullet” to resolving inequity.
“I think it’s interesting that the only thing anyone can criticize about the report is we aren’t doing it fast enough,” said Liberal MP Anita Vandenbeld (Ottawa Nepean-West), chair of the Special Committee on Pay Equity. “It means it must be a pretty good report. It is a very complicated subject, so we want to make sure that we give the government the latitude to come up with the correct legislation and that we have the time to do that because we don’t want to waste any more time.”
The Committee report It’s Time To Act yesterday urged that Parliament pass a pay equity law for all 493,000 government employees including 122,000 at Crown corporations; most federal contractors; and the estimated 820,000 Canadians who work in federally-regulated industries including banking; broadcasting and telecommunications; airlines; railways; marine shippers; inter-provincial trucking; and grain milling.
“Pay equity is a legislated human right and the committee believes the Government of Canada has the obligation to ensure that within its jurisdiction, pay equity is a human right that is promoted, implemented and enforced,” Time said. Legislation should apply to “all unionized, non-unionized, full-time, part-time, casual, seasonal and temporary employees,” the report concluded.
“People shouldn’t have to wait for a human right,” said MP Sheri Benson (Saskatoon West), New Democrat labour critic. “If we were talking about allowing racism to continue in the workplace because we wanted some time, I think most people would say, ‘Hey, that doesn’t sound very good.’”
“Most federal employees are in Ontario and Québec and both those provinces have legislation already, so it’s not such a huge leap for Parliament,” Benson said. “But it’s a big deal for the women who aren’t getting paid.”
15 Employees Or More
Patty Hajdu, Minister of Status of Women, promised a “fulsome response” from cabinet but questioned the call for legislation. “It’s really hard to say yet exactly how our response will be formulated,” Hajdu told reporters. Asked if a pay equity law is needed, Hajdu replied: “It’s still my opinion the gender wage gap is complex and that equal pay for equal value is something that we completely believe in – but we know that it’s not the silver bullet to addressing the gender wage gap.”
Currently pay equity complaints are adjudicated by the Canadian Human Rights Commission and the courts. One 1984 Public Service Alliance of Canada complaint against the Treasury Board took fifteen years to resolve. Another Canada Post complaint ended with a Supreme Court award of $150 million in damages following 29 years of litigation.
Time To Act recommended that Parliament create a Pay Equity Commission to investigate complaints, audit companies, award costs and manage a taxpayer-supported legal fund “that can be used by unrepresented complainants in pay equity disputes in exceptional circumstances.” Other recommendations included:
“We know a lot of work went into this report,” said Minister Hajdu. “We know that a lot of experts testified at the committee, to comprise the recommendations, so we just want to make sure we understand the recommendations.”
“Which one in your opinion seems the most important?” a reporter asked. “It’s difficult to say,” Hajdu replied. “It’s going to require a little bit of thoughtful analysis.” The report followed the Commons passage of a New Democrat motion February 3 that legislators “adopt a proactive federal pay equity regime”.
By Jason Unrau
The health department has quietly dismissed a Senate report that it exclude lobbyists from influencing its benchmark Canada Food Guide. A senior official said consultations with industry “stakeholders” are already underway. Health Canada yesterday declined comment.
